“隐秀”之辨

Discussion about “Yin Xiu”

摘要: 《文心雕龙•隐秀》是中国文学理论中重要的一篇，阐述了中国文论中重要的范畴。本文从辨析今人对“隐秀”的阐释入手，提出《隐秀》篇呈现了中国传统的自然生发、动态生成的诗学观。“隐”、“秀”之间是有机统一的关系，并非固定的、“实”的整体与部分的关系。“隐秀”作品具有出自自身的源源不断的生命活力。

Abstract: Yin Xiu, as a significant piece in Chinese literary theories, expounds the important concept of “Yin Xiu”. This paper distinguishes the present interpretations of “Yin Xiu”, and argues that the piece presents the Chinese traditional poetic idea that a poem or an artistic creation grows naturally and dynamically so that it can be shaped into an organic unity. In an excellent artistic work, the feature of “Yin” and that of “Xiu” are related to each other in an organic unity. Neither of them is fixed by any stiff boundary, or forms a concrete relation between the whole and the parts. As a result, the work can always produce vigor of life sprung from it when being interpreted.